West Point Military Academy

There is no such institution.
There is a taxpayer-supported college
At West Point, NY, which is officially,
The United States Military Academy.

In recent years, the name and location
Has been conflated into the WPMA.
Old grads like me cringe at that reference
Whenever we see or hear it in the media.

But our Association of Graduates and the
Domain of the official website now use
West Point as their identification of
The organization that they serve.

None of the other service academies
Can do that, although sometimes
The Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD
Was informally referred to as "Annapolis."

That makes no sense literally, because
Annapolis is the state capital of Maryland
And a historic city in its own right,
That happens to have USNA next door.

West Point, NY, however, is the academy.
That is, it is a tract of land owned by
The U.S. Government, i.e., the taxpayers
For the sole purpose of housing the academy.

It was not always so, of course.
West Point was the point on the Hudson River
Across which was stretched the Great Chain
To prevent a British linkup in the Revolution.

After the war, it became a school for
Training cadets for the Corps of Engineers,
Then logically became the site for an academy
To educate officers of the Regular Army.

We have to recognize and perhaps rejoice
At the misnaming of our Alma Mater and that
It is "West Point" that is engraved on our rings,
And to whom we sing "Hail Alma Mater'

Marketers call name recognition a priceless asset.
Which can be exploited, to be sure, but is also
An intangible spirit that has to be lived up to
By those who benefit from its existence.

How to Lose

My friend at church asks me,
"Do you think Obama can win?"
"No, I don't think he can win,
But the Republicans can lose!"

Now the Republicans are well on their way,
On their way to losing, that is,
As one by one, candidates quit the race,
Leaving a strange mix of competitors.

Worse yet is the roster of bystanders,
Those who might have been effective
In leading the country's citizens to accept
Living in the real world as grownups.

Changes need to be made, must be made
If we are to survive as a republic.
The tax code is a disaster;
The national budget rises through the roof.

Difficult decisions are a statesman's job.
The politician leads people where they
Say they want to go, whereas the statesman
Leads them where they need to go.

Who can tell us to rid ourselves
Of dependence on the largesse of a few
To food, clothing, shelter for all,
And the cure for all ills that befall mankind?

Some call for the fabled "white knight"
To ride into town bearing a banner
That reads, "Follow me and all will be well;
Obey me and you will be forever provided for."

History is replete with such false prophets
Who enslave their own people.
Freedom depends upon rulers
Becoming servants rather than masters.

NEWT 2012

Newt for president; you can't be serious!
Yes we are, and we're putting our money
Where our brains are, but we're not telling anyone
Because people will think we're crazy.

That's the attitude of those who all of a sudden
Gave Newt a big bump in the polls.
Even he was surprised, and said
"Today looks a whole lot better than yesterday!"

Can you imagine how risky it would be
To have a NEWT 2012 sticker on your bumper?
You might find your tires slashed, or
Key scratched all along the doors.

No, better to play it safe.
Don't say a word to anyone but the pollster.
Make your contribution online
Or mailed in a plain envelope.

Why Newt; is it because your favorite
Refused to jeopardize his/her future in the race,
Of if he/she did decide to compete
Managed to insert foot in mouth in a weak moment.

How can you support someone for president
With all that political and personal baggage
Hanging on his tail like tin cans?
Well, maybe because he truly tells it like it is.

What can the media say that isn't already known?
All the regular Joes and Janes who have
Made their mistakes along the way
May be sympathetic to a straight talker like Newt.

Canadian Reconnaissance

You may recall that the constitutional convention
For the Republic of New England in October, 2010
Was cancelled in light of the promises for
Restoration of fiscal sanity in the forthcoming U. S. election.

The election did indeed inspire some hope that
The ship of state might begin to steer a straight course.
Since then, the House of Representatives in Congress
Has committed to a goal of balancing the budget.

Still, the proponents of possible secession
Keep a wary eye on current developments in Washington.
We wish to remain ready to spring into action
Should newly inspired efforts at economizing fail.

Some time ago, we exchanged ideas with a
Separatist movement in the maritime provinces of Canada.
Without getting into details, we floated the notion
Of linking them with the nascent Republic of New England.

Earlier this year, we received an invitation to
Visit, meet, and discuss our mutual purposes.
We booked passage on a cruise to explore
Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.

We were interested in Quebec primarily to get some feel
For the state of the the long-standing separatist movement there.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Irene blew us out to sea
So we never did get to touch down in Nova Scotia.

Prince Edward Island is a gem, much similar to Cape Cod.
Its residents seem to be proud citizens of Canada,
Grateful for subsidies from the federal government
And proud to be the cradle of the Canadian Confederation.

An additional stop in Saguenay gave us the opportunity
To see Canadian industry at work, which illustrates
The relative prosperity of the country, in its unapologetic
Exploitation of vast natural resources.

Quebec City lives off its charms for the tourists.
We saw the field where France lost Canada to the British,
And the old town where Benedict Arnold almost claimed it
For the new country not yet named the United States.

Montreal is a thoroughly Americanized city
In all respects except the language and the cuisine.
We learned that the buoyant state of the Canadian economy
Has eradicated any thought of instituting Quebec Libre.

So the prospects for annexing the maritime provinces
Are not attactive at this point in our mutual history.
Well, maybe excepting New Brunswick, which
Would simply be a geographical extension of Maine.

Kill Medicare

Kill Medicare

Kill Medicare, put it out of its misery.
It's about to die anyway,
As the program runs out of funds
Contributed by the payroll tax.

People forget that it was a creation
By LBJ to take care of the old folks
Who were subsisting on dog food,
So that they could pay their medical bills.

Now it is a monstrous health scheme
Covering a sector of the population, many of
Whom may be able to afford private insurance
But are required to buy the national plan.

The politicians are tackling health care
Backwards, as Massachusetts has proved.
The problem is not that people who can't afford
Health insurance must be subsidized to purchase it.

The problem is that too many people
Lack access to affordable health care.
Starting from that direction leads to
Consideration of all elements involved.

Then the issue of payment becomes
A battle between the opposite poles of
Nationalizing health care providers or
Paying them to take care of those in need.

Now we have the worst of both worlds,
Where providers are undercompensated for
Taking care of senior citizens and the poor,
While the taxpayers pay the bills for both.

No can predict the outcome of various proposals.
Instead, spectors are raised to scare the voters.
While we seniors refuse to accept the fact that
We are no longer entitled to a free ride.

Revolt of the Masses

Not since the sixties have we seen
Crowds of Americans in open protest,
Nor of legislators abandoning their state
To paralyze the law-making process.

Simultaneously, the scenes of citizens massing
To demonstrate their dissatistfaction with
Long-intrenched authoritarian regimes
Play out in view of worldwide audiences.

Is there a parallel in these actions?
Are we who pride ourselves on our democracy,
Now willing to abandon our responsibility
To accept the "consequences of elections?"

An increasing number of inflammable pieces
Are being broadcast in the mass media urging the
Forced redistribution of wealth in laws
Limiting compensation, or in confiscatory taxation.

The so-called "rich," not clearly identified,
Are equated with the aristocrats of the ancien regime.
Do you recall the cry to the proletariat,
"Comrades, you have nothing to lose but your chains!"

"Civility" is urged upon the populace by those
Who refuse to entertain any beliefs but their own.
"We will fight for you," say the politicians, but
Whom are they fighting but themselves?

Can we not see that the mark of a free people
Is to work together to create the opportunity
To work out our individual destinies,
"Without let or hindrance," as the British say.

In this country, if we see politicians as enemies,
We lose the perspective to see the incompetents
As what they are, and thus seek to remove and
Replace them in an orderly and peaceful manner.

Painful Choices

The body politic suffers from split personality.
We want our governments to do more
To solve physical and social problems,
While taxing us less to do so.

It does not compute, therefore we ignore
The fiscal consequences of our demands;
We spend, tax, borrow to meet
What we see are pressing needs.

That will bankrupt us, if it
Has not done so already.
We must decide first the tax burden
That we can live with.

Then governments can allocate
Their resources in priority of need,
Just as any prudent householder
Would budget his expenditures.

If that sounds simplistic, it is;
Yet those are the goals of
The only successful populist
Movement since women's suffrage.

What then, are we willing to give up?
What must we pay for that
Government now gives to us in
One form or another?

Example:  A business student of mine
Once related to us that her mother
Was on kidney dialysis, paid for then
By a special act of Congress.

Without it, she said, her mother
Would die within a few months.
What would you say to this young woman,
If you were an able politician?

You might say, if you were
Willing to risk reelection
That shouldering difficult burdens
Is required of all of us in a free country.